Method of renovating locomotives



s. OTIS METHOD OF RENOVATING LOCOMOTIVES I Oct. 29, 1929.

Filed Jn. 29, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 29, 1929. s. OTIS METHOD OFRENOVATING LOCOMOTIVES v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1923.

N 3. 7208 2%) biverccer Patented Oct. 29, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT,OFFICE" srnncnn OTIS, or HARRINGTON, rumors, ASSIGNOR 'ro THE LOCOMOTIVETERMINAL IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, or onrcneo, rumors, A CQRPORATION or MAINEMETHOD OF RENOVATING LOCOMOTIVES Application filed January 29, 1923.SeriaI No. 615,712. r

This invention relates to a method of blowing on the boilers of steamlocomotives as an incident to cleaning and repairing them.

The object of the invention. is to provide a 5 method of procedurewhereby the time of evacuation of the contents of a locomotive boilermay be greatly reduced through the application of an influence from anextraneous source and without undue cost.

It has long been the practice to introduce water into asteam boilerthrough means of a steam injector operating upon the principle ofreleasing steam at high velocity, condensingitby bringing itintoinjector relation to feed water while maintaining its velocity, andcausing it to take up'the feed water and carry the latter into theboiler, notwithstanding the internal boiler resistance. 1

But this method, aside from having to do with the treatment of boilersthat are in operation and already supplied with a complement of water,isslow relatively inefficient,

and expensive, and aliords no substantial as-.

sistance in solving the problem of the present invention, which is tohasten the evacuation of a boiler by a boosting applicationof steam froman extraneous source under conditions which permit salvaging the heatunits of the steam and thereby reducing the cost of steam consumption,and thereafter returning such heat units with water used in restoringthe boiler to service.

In carrying out the present invention, in addition to the usual meansemployed for vaging the heat units of the blown oii products as apreliminary to washing out and repairing the boiler, means are providedfor delivering steam from an extraneous source in such relation to theblowofl' system as to greatly boost the flow of blown off products andadd its heat'units to the latter so that they are salvaged with the heatof the blown oil products and the cost of supplying steam for thispurpose correspondingly reduced. I

Preferably a flow meter or other means will be employed by which supplyof steam at the extraneous source will be regulated according toconsumption in realizing the sevblowing off the contents of a boiler andsaleral functions which characterize the invention. I y, c

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a schematic view of alocomotive terminal equipped for practicing the present invention,locomotives being shown in the renovating stall, where the blowing off,washing out, and refilling ofthe boiler take place, and at the parkingstation where propelling pressure may be maintained by steam from' theextraneous source while the locomotive is waiting for assignment.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Figure lon a greatly enlargedscale; and Figure 3 is a detail view onan enlarged scale "of theequipment at the renovating stall. c

Referring to Figure 1, A represents a main track, B a series of spurtracks leading therefrom, C a locomotive terminal house, D a

series of renovating stations in said locomotive house, E a series ofparking or waiting stations adapted to be assumed by locomotives underself propulsion by steam pressure developed in them at the renovatingstations, F a series of spur tracks leading from the parking stations,and G a branch trackconnecting with all of the spurtracks F andconnected throughswitching tracks H and I in a mannor to present alocomotive forward in either direction on the track A.- In addition tothe foregoing, the locomotive terminal is equipped with blowoii,washout, refilling, and steam supplying apparatus now to be described,and it may be supplied with any other accessory apparatusorequipmentsuch, for

instance, as a coaling station I Referring to all the drawings, 1represents a blowofi pipe adapted to receive blown off products from alocomotive boiler .2, through the pipe 1 adapted to communicate with asteam dome, as through hose 1", controlled byvalve 1, or with the lowerportion r of the boilerthrough a hose 1?, as may be desired; thisblowofi pipe being connected to deliver theblownofi products toiaseparator 3, whence the "steam constituent escapes through a pipea to acondenser 5 and thence, accompanied by an increment of water whichreaches the condenser through the pipe 6,

flows through a pipe 7 to the filling tank 8; the water constituentofthe blown oft prod ucts being delivered through pipe 9 to washout tank10. Water from washout tank 10 is advanced byva pump 11 through a pipe12 to feed the drop 13 at the post 14c of the locomo tive renovatingstation. Water from filling tank 8 is advanced by pump 15 through pipe16 to supply drop 17 at said post 14.

In addition to the washout and refill water supply pipes the terminal isequipped with a live steam pipe 18 leading from any suitable stationaryboiler 19 where steam can be economically and constantly generated, andthis live steam pipe 18 supplies a steam drop 20 at the post 14:. 21represents a booster shown connected by the pipe 1-with the drop 1 ofthe blowofl? pipe 1, and this booster'receives the steam pipe 20 in suchrelation as will, for purposes of the present invention, causeacceleration of fiow upward through the pipe 1. Box 21 is also providedwith a connection 21 which, for purposes of the present invention, isadapted to receive a pipe 22 leadingfrom the lower portion of thelocomotive boiler for permitting liquid contents of the boiler to escapethrough pipe 22, box 21, and pipe 1 to the blow'ofl" line, as explainedbelow. There are also present in the equipment of the apparatusa fillingwater pipe 17 adapted'to discharge in the booster box 21, a gauge glass25, and smoke jack 28 over thelocomotive stack 29; but these have to dowith the practice of refilling the locomotive boiler after the blowofiand in accordance with the direct steaming system described in U. S.Letters Patent No. 1,592,618 issued July 13, 1926, and therefore neednot be further described in this case.

The connection 1.for blowing oli water from the boiler which iscontrolled at its upper end by valve 1 is adapted to be attached to theinjector box 21 so that discharge from said box will be deliveredthrough the connections 1 and 1 to the blowofi? pipe; and the connection22 from the low part of the boiler is adapted to be attachedto theconnect'ion 21 and through said connection deliver water from the boilerinto the injector box 21, whence it will pass through connections 1 and1 to the blowofl pipe; and if 7 live steam pipe 20 be opened at thistime, the flow of blowofi water will be accelerated and the timerequired for evacuation of the boiler correspondingly reduced. Inasmuchas tlieheat units of the steam used for this purpose arerecoveled in thecondenser 5 and delivered to filling tank 8, this method of procedure iseconomical; 'Ordinarily, in blow- 'ingofi. thev boiler, wateuwill beevacuated from the point 23 directly into connection 1, and thencethrough connection 1" to the blowoli' pipe Solong as internalboiler-pressure is suflioient to insure a rapidevacuation or"the'rboiler. .But whenthe boiler pressure drops to a point which greatlyslows down the flow of water from the boiler, the connections will beshifted in the manner described, and evacuation of the remainder of thewater will be boosted by the steam et;

30 represents a flow meter or other suitable means for the steam line 18having, connection 31 with a damper whereby it may maintain pressure inthe boiler 19 commensurate with consumption of steam on the line 18. 7

I claim:

1. The improvement in the art of blowing ofi boilers and salvaging heatunits from the contents thereof, consisting in blowing off liquidconstituentof the boiler contents together with vaporous constituentthereof, accelerating the blowoflf of the liquid discharge by injectingthereinto live steam under substantial pressure, separating the vaporconstituent from the liquid constituent of the accelerated blown oiimaterial, condensing the vapors so separated, and storing the condensedvapors as refill water.

2. The improvement in the art of blowing or? boilers and salvaging heatunitsfrom the blown ol'i" products, said improvementconsisting indischarging vaporvconst'ituent of the boiler contents from a portion ofthe boiler abovethe water line and both vapor constituent and liquidconstituent of the boiler contents from the boiler below the waterl1ne,accelcrat1ng the flow of liquid discharge by injecting thereintolive steam under substantial pressure, separating both the vaporresulting from the injected steam and the vapor boiler constituent,which accompanies the liquid, from the said liquid, condensing all ofthe vapors, and storing the condensed vapors, as refill water.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 23 day of January, 1923.

. SPENCER OTIS.

